Thanksgiving might not feel like the most appetizing time to start thinking about the safety and health of the food supply. But maybe out harvest festival is the perfect time to consider it -- and to consider what it would cost to give your family a kinder, healthier Thanksgiving Day feast.

Think counterfeiting only extends to knock-off purses or bootleg DVDs? Think again. Everything is fair game to counterfeiters these days, from computer equipment to car parts -- and, perhaps most frightening of all, the food we eat and the beverages we drink.

The economic recovery may not be ripe, but affluent shoppers are still paying a premium for high-end groceries. Shares of upscale supermarket operator The Fresh Market hit fresh highs on Wednesday after the company posted blowout quarterly results.

What do you get when an economist digs into America's food culture? If the economist is Tyler Cowan, you get "An Economist Gets Lunch," in which he offers some surprising culprits for our eating woes, and some clever ways to get the best meals for less.

Buying organic can be confusing, especially if you're trying to prioritize on a frugal food budget. Should you spend extra on pesticide-free fruits and veggies? Or hormone- and antibiotic-free meat? We went to the experts to find out how to maximize the health value of your organic food budget.

Last year, grocery sales were up a modest 1.8%, yet sales of organic items more than doubled that growth rate, up 4.4%. Clearly, we're shopping differently. But are we even sure what an "organic" or "all natural" label means? It's more complicated than you might think.

The locavore, or local food, movement is gaining momentum, driven in part by recent food scares. Across the country, small, local farms are tapping into a growing market by selling meat and produce to health-conscious consumers and choosy restaurant chefs.

The recall of half a billion eggs potentially tainted by salmonella has scared the bejesus out of U.S. consumers, who are showing an increasing willingness to pay higher prices for safer eggs. Organic and premium egg producers now say they are stretching to keep up with rising demand.

Grocer Whole Foods reported better-than-expected earnings to shareholders Tuesday, driven by part changes in the way Americans eat: They're making a slow but steady march toward more local, more natural and more organic foods.